|
Despite challenges, boys finished 3rd in RVC South
by Matthew Dickinson, sports editor · Sports · March 12, 2025
West Branch’s boys’ basketball team gathered March 6 in the Middle School’s commons to reflect on a season of growth with a new core during its awards ceremony.
In the varsity portion of the night, Bears Head Coach Jason Kern opened by handing out Academic All-Conference awards, which went to high school players with a GPA of 3.5 and above.
The award winners were Garrett Tisinger, Ty Stout, Connor Sexton, Dillan Schenkel, Chason Maier, James Haack, Jackson Nestor, Caeson Gingerich, Kyler Donohoe, Sawyer Jeffries, McGavin Smith, Spencer Green, Michael Montgomery, Cole Crosthwaite, Ethan Miller, Lincoln Naber, Brennen Dale, and Nathan Hills.
The coach said that having that many players receive the distinction was “impressive” due to the busy winter season.
To recap the season, Kern said that the team “lost a lot” of talent from last year’s senior class, with the biggest impact coming from losing 80 percent of the Bears’ scoring.
He said that West Branch had to “fill holes” throughout the lineup and there was an adjustment period as rotation players turned into leading players and plenty of players without meaningful varsity experience were thrust into much larger roles.
Despite the “unknown” nature of the season, Kern noted the team’s 11-13 final overall record and third place finish in the River Valley Conference’s South division.
He shared that four of West Branch’s five losses in the South were to the top two teams in the South division–Regina and Mid-Prairie–with the other loss coming to fourth-place Tipton.
Kern proceeded to say that this is probably the “toughest schedule” West Branch has played since he took over seven years ago, which forced the young lineup to “grow up” and gain confidence quickly.
The coach said there were no easy wins on the challenging slate and noted that the Bears won nine of their last 14 games of the season, a testament to the group’s improvement after defining roles and building chemistry.
The coach then shared some of the season’s highlights, including West Branch’s first win of the year over Anamosa that was a turning point for the young team.
He also pointed out how the team responded to a home loss against Tipton by defeating the Tigers on the road late in the regular season before pulling off a huge playoff win back at Tipton less than a week later.
Kern also spoke about the team’s season-ending loss in district play to eventual state qualifier Grundy Center, noting that the Bears hung tough with the Spartans for just under three quarters and gave the top seed in the bracket their toughest test in the playoffs.
He continued by saying the Bears had to “fight all year” and lauded the group’s “buy-in” midway through the season. Kern said it was a “fun coaching year” despite the final record while saying this is “something to build on.”
The coach then handed out conference and team awards while bringing up each letterwinner and saying a few words about them as well.
In addition to a Second Team All-RVC South honor, junior Brandon Pedersen earned the West Branch Defensive MVP award as voted on by the players.
Kern said that Pedersen’s room to grow entering the year boiled down to efficiency and confidence, noting that the junior took his game to another level following the Christmas break with an offensive explosion.
The coach also said that Pedersen had an uncanny knack to get deflections and steals defensively, noting that he has “a lot of potential” provided he puts in the offseason work entering his senior season.
Junior Jayden Harris was named unanimous First Team All-RVC South while also taking home the team’s Offensive MVP award.
Kern also revealed that Harris had been selected to the National High School Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 2A-4 All-Substate team, which takes the top eight players from each district.
The coach also said that the junior had a shot at an All-State mention, which would be revealed next week.
Kern said that the junior’s success in turning into the main offensive threat in the lineup after being a complementary starter and sixth man stemmed from a relentless year-round work ethic.
The coach said that he had 19 points per game, three assists a game, and 2 1/2 rebounds a game. Harris had a career-high 30 points against Durant along with some other scoring efforts in the high 20’s.
Kern also lauded Harris for his ability to respond to adversity, saying that the junior will have to work on being a more “vocal leader” while aiming to create more offensive opportunities for teammates by using the extra defensive attention he receives to free up more open looks with passes.
The coach concluded by saying that he has a “bright future” while noting that he has incredible efficiency on offense.
Kern saved the senior class for last.
He began with Miller, saying that the senior developed well over his four years and noting that he exerted tremendous effort as part of the scout team to help the varsity players above him improve in practice.
The coach noted some of his highlight moments where 3-pointers sparked runs in big games. Kern said that Miller also brought “positivity and energy” on and off the court, which was a welcome presence during his career.
The coach then pivoted to Hills, who was absent. Kern said that Hills had two of his best career games while battling illness, and that he joked with the senior that he should get sick more often. He also said that Hills put the time in to improve at basketball despite juggling plenty of other activities.
Kern then spoke about Brandon Pickett, who earned an All-RVC Honorable Mention and the team’s Most Improved Player award.
The coach said that he “was a fun kid to have” on the team. Kern said that Pickett had to miss the summer team competitions due to playing baseball but came in during the fall and put in plenty of work to improve.
He added that Pickett’s leap during his senior year helped shore up concerns in the frontcourt with Montgomery and Crosthwaite out for significant time and the entire year, respectively.
Kern also praised Pickett for his ability to be a “consistent” player on offense and defense despite being undersized in most of his matchups.
Kern ended his recap of the letterwinners with Crosthwaite, who earned the Bear award for the player that best embodied the program’s values.
The coach said that Crosthwaite, who suffered a season-ending injury in both of his final two high school seasons after a promising sophomore season on varsity, had plenty of resolve to be a part of the program while fighting through adversity.
Kern added that handling these tough circumstances at a young age will only help the senior later in life.
The coach proceeded to say that Crosthwaite had a “great offseason” and put in plenty of work, which makes the injury this season even more difficult to swallow for both the senior and the coaching staff.
Kern said a few words about juniors Montgomery, Naber, and Dale as well. Juniors Haydon Haines and Grayson Johnson, sophomores Kaleb Rios, Bryce Anderson, Green, Jeffries, and Smith received letters as well.
Kern concluded the varsity portion by saying that he hopes this year’s progress “leads to future success.”
Junior Varsity
Coach Kaleb Duwa handled the junior varsity portion to reflect on a 13-7 campaign. He opened by thanking the parents for allowing him to coach their children before saying a few words about the senior class and the players on his roster. Duwa said his team had a lot of progress during the season before sharing a few highlights. The Mid-Prairie graduate shared his delight in finally getting to beat his alma mater not once but twice.
Duwa also said he enjoyed how his team managed to “gel together” during the season, noting that each player knew their individual strengths and weaknesses and fit seamlessly in with one another on the court.
The coach also noted the group cared more about winning than individual statistics, concluding that the fresh/soph team “had big shoes to fill” and emphasizing the importance of offseason work as the varsity team looks to make its first state tournament appearance in school history.
Fresh/soph
Coach Grant Meth opened the ceremony by recapping the fresh/soph team’s 7-11 season. He said it was “a joy to coach you guys” while addressing the players while also thanking the reset of the coaching staff for their support. The coach noted that there was “a lot of improvement” this season, and that four games could have ended up as wins if a few things had gone their way. Meth noted that he was most proud of the improved defense over the season and that the group has “lots of potential.” The coach ended his speech by thanking the parents for allowing him to coach their children before handing out participation awards to his players.
Thank yous
Kern ended the night by thanking those who helped the program this season.
He began with assistants Duwa, Meth, and Cooper Kabela, saying that he has one of the best coaching staffs in the state. Kern added that he appreciated the three not being “yes men” and instead challenging him on certain ideas, which helped the team due to different perspectives.
Kern then thanked Matthew Dickinson of the West Branch Times and Ryan Murken of YourPrepSports for doing “a great job of covering us.”
He then thanked Activities Director Jake Stenberg for his work with aiding the program.
The coach then thanked Steve Kabela, Tom Burger, Chad and Amanda Whaley, and Craig Essington for their help with handling various needs on game days such as operating the scoreboard.
He then thanked Darla Crosthwaite for helping with goodie bags and the parking spot fundraiser.
Kern thanked Lori Montgomery and Marcy Willier among others for their help with goodie bags, Angie Miller for assisting with Subway meals, and Stacy Rios for helping with youth nights, as well as the janitorial staff.
He proceeded to thank his family for their support during the long season as well as the players’ parents for allowing their children to compete and spend significant time with the coaching staff to improve their games during the year.
He also shared his appreciation for raising “first class humans.” Kern ended by thanking the players, saying “I can’t do what I do” without their efforts.
The coach concluded the thank you segment and the ceremony by stressing the importance of offseason work again, saying that there aren’t a lot of great players because most talented individuals do not want to put in the endless work to reach that level.
Kern repeated that there is a great returning group of players and that he has high expectations for next season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
